Vomit, Whitehorse and the absence of Tagalong

It has been pointed out to me that my Tagalong Schnibble was not present and accounted for in the Parade of Schnibbles this month. That is because I did not finish it.

All for very good reason. Well, the reason itself is not good, but a viable one. Tigger has been very sick. Does it get any sadder than a sick cat? Really now, I have a newfound burgeoning amount of respect for those with children who experience this on a regular basis. Last Friday, Tigger decided to throw up his dinner. Right there on the living room rug. I expressed the appropriate amount of disgust and then quickly went to task on cleaning it up. Little did I know, this was just the beginning. By Saturday, he was ralphing on a regular schedule of 45 minute intervals. Wow, dinner must really not have agreed with him, I thought. Yes, I was concerned. But not worried. Worry came Monday when his scheduled mid-morning vomit included blood clots. There is a certain amount of distress and panic that bubbles to the surface when your animal is sick and the nearest veterinarian is two hours away. In another country. It is amazing how fast you can drive 110 miles when said cat is sitting in the seat next to you, barfing in a bowl and pleading with the saddest eyes known to man to please make it stop. In Tigger's case, I think the upset stomach actually came in second to the very traumatic car ride itself. A ride in the car trumps a stomach ache any day. Do you think it's harder to throw up when you're hyperventilating?

Our vet is named Dr. Brown and he is the nicest vet in Canada. He took X-rays of Tigger, resulting in nothing more nefarious than an enlarged colon full of gas, which Tigger was kind enough to let loose in the car on the way home. The green haze is still settling. After several more tests, it was decided that the blood clots were a result of his stupendous vomiting skills. And Tigger was prescribed Kaopectate to sooth his raw insides. Yep. Kaopectate. The same stuff Brad Pitt plugged when he won the Golden Globe for 12 Monkeys. Who knew it was so universal? Famous hot actors...cats...it's the miracle bottle. And you know you live in a small town when you have to have Kaopectate flown in from Juneau because your local little wannabe grocery store doesn't stock it.

This is Butters watching Tigger from her perpendicular perch on the back of the couch. Her butt is actually hanging down the back. I don't know how she does this. She was very concerned he was contagious and wanted to keep a safe distance.

 
Back to my Tagalong. My blocks are all done and sewn together. I just need to add my outer border, but haven't had a minute to sit down to my machine in days. I love this quilt. Breath of Avignon is such a cheerful fabric. And the tiny little 3" 9-patches are adorable. I just want to fold them up and put them in my pocket. 

 
Sunday, we headed back up to Whitehorse for the Yukon Trade Show. The railroadhad a booth there promoting the upcoming Yukoner's Special for Canada's Victoria Day weekend. The weather was beautiful, and with Spring busting it's way up the valley, it was a gorgeous mix of new greens and old snow.

 
On the way home, we saw something I have never seen before in the thirteen years I've lived in Alaska. Do you see what I see in this photo?

There was a guy para-skiing (I don't even know if that's the correct term for it) on the frozen Summit Lake. He had on skis and was being dragged around by a bright red parachute. Can you imagine? I'll bet he was cold.

Comments

[Lesly]

Oh, poor Tigger! I hope he's feeling better now! We see people para-skating out on Lake Ontario in the winter, and they really whip along. I always think what a wind chill you must be making when you go that fast. Brrrr, I don't even want to think about it, now that spring is here at last!

[Jen]

I hope your kitty is feeling better! My cat had exactly those symptoms -- he vomited and vomited whenever he ate anything (and eventually stopped eating) and his xray just showed a whole lot of gas in his intestines. Eventually, he was diagnosed with a food allergy. Now he gets hypoallergenic food and hasn't had any more issues at all. Once he started getting that food it was like he had never been sick at all.

[Carol]

Poor little Tigger, I hope he is on mend soon. Do they charge you extra for something that has to be flown in from Juneau? I'm sure you'll have your Tagalong quilt done soon. Now you just need to figure out what quilt you want to make for May.

[Mary Flynn]

Oh I do hate when pets aren't well and they can't tell you either. Wishing your little one well. Oh and as for Tagalong...mine wasn't there either this month. :-)

[Nicole]

Your pictures of your cats totally sum up how each of them was feeling about the vomiting episode. Don't worry about Tagalong--it will be done when you get it done.

[AnnieO]

Oh, yes, a sick cat is a pathetic sight. Glad it was not something seriously wrong and hope he's feeling better.

Para-skiing does look cold! But para-sailing isn't too warm in my neck of the woods (cold Pacific) either!

[Thelma]

So when does that snow melt?

I hope the medicine gets Tigger back to feeling better quickly.

Hopefully you're in for a better week this week!

[Christine Thomas]

I thought you were going to say Tigger vomited on your quilt project. Sick animals are so hard to watch...you feel helpless. When my doggie was sick, vet told me to give her Pepcid or something like that for the upset. Glad Tigger is on the mend.

[Lisa D.]

Poor Tigger - I hope his tummy is settled and he's back to your perky self.

[Sinta Renee]

I am so sorry to hear about your poor cat! Bless his heart! Hope the medicine is doing the trick. Please share your Tagalong when you get back to it!

[Rose Marie]

Hopefully Tigger is feeling better ..... luckily, we have a vet just down the street from us.

[Laura]

I get stressed enough when one of the animals is sick, but to have the vet two hours away? Yikes. I'd be a basket case. We are pretty spoiled here in the big city with 24/7 emergency animal clinics available.

I hope Tigger is feeling better!

[Pokey]

So sorry for your Tigger! we love our pets, hope he's doing better soon!

[Chamaine]

1. poor Tigger! 2. smart Butters 3. totally cool para-skiier! 4. you look great in that photo (you've lost weight...share your secret with me!)

[Mary Flynn]

I wanted to check in to see how kitty was doing.